The CARE CERTIFICATE Understand your role 1 1

The CARE CERTIFICATE Understand your role 1 1 Standard

Learning outcomes The worker will: 1. 1 Understand their own role 1. 2 Work in ways that have been agreed with their employer 1. 3 Understand working relationships in health and social care 1. 4 Work in partnership with others. 2 1 Standard

Tasks, behaviours and standards of work The duties and responsibilities that are part of your role will be listed in your job description. Your role is likely to include: § Providing care and support § Working as part of a team § Contributing to activities § Respecting confidentiality Your work must always be carried out in agreed ways and must keep to regulations. Regulations are rules that come from legislation or laws. The legislation establishes the general ‘laws of the land’. Regulations provide the specific ways in which those laws are interpreted and applied. 3

Standards and codes of conduct and practice To be able to do your job competently you must have skills and knowledge and work in ways that are set out nationally. ■ The Care Certificate ■ The Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England Competence Having the ability and expertise to understand an individual’s needs in order to deliver effective care. 4

Discussion The ways we need to work to safeguard the people we support The skills and knowledge we need to be competent in our role Care Certificate and Code of Conduct Standards include… The moral and ethical standards that we must meet in all aspects of our work How we should behave when we are at work 5

Experiences, attitudes and beliefs Your experiences, attitudes and beliefs affect how you think and behave. They can: ■ Lead you to make assumptions ■ Make judgements Self-awareness and learning to understand the attitudes and beliefs of others can help you to work in ways that value the individuals that you support. Beliefs: can be described as things in life that you feel strongly about, that guide you in your daily life and are linked very closely to your morals and values Attitudes: are the approaches, opinions and mind-set that you have developed through your upbringing and life and learning experiences. 6

Values, aims and objectives Understanding the values, aims and objectives of your employer will help you to understand your role. Objectives Values Aims Values are the beliefs or ideals that should be evident in all aspects of the service you provide Aims are the general goals that an organisation hopes to achieve through their activity. The purpose of your job will be to contribute to achieving these’ 7 Objectives are specific things that must be in place in order to achieve the aims.

Rights at work Legislation gives employees rights and responsibilities at work. Rights: ■ To work in a safe environment and be provided with equipment to keep them safe ■ To have personal and sensitive information treated confidentially ■ To equal pay for equal work ■ To fair terms of employment including pay and working hours. 8

Responsibilities at work Responsibilities: ■ To work in agreed ways that are safe for them and those around them and to discuss safety concerns with their manager ■ To treat other people’s private and sensitive information confidentially ■ To treat others equally regardless of protected characteristics. Protected characteristics The Equality Act 2010 identifies nine protected characteristics or groups that are protected under equalities law. 9

Responsibilities to the individuals you support You have responsibilities to the people that you provide care and support for including: ■ Safeguarding their safety and welfare ■ Involving the individual and their support network in the planning, delivery and review of their care ■ Ensuring that their dignity is promoted and their rights upheld ■ Supporting the person to complain or raising concerns if care is inadequate or rights are not upheld. 10

Agreed ways of working are the ways in which employers expect employees to work. This could be: ■ Part of a policy ■ Provided by your manager or colleague ■ Part of an individual’s care plan. 11

Reporting errors - discussion Mistakes sometimes happen and it is important to be honest and identify when errors have been made. ■ What action should be taken? ■ Why is it important to be honest and admit when errors have been made? ■ What are the potential consequences of not reporting a mistake? 12

Whistleblowing ■ Reporting things that you feel are not right or are illegal is known as whistleblowing ■ You have a responsibility to report concerns about the safety and welfare of all people in the workplace ■ You must follow the whistleblowing policy for your employer. 13

Whistleblowing - discussion Report? The health and safety of staff is in danger YES NO Individuals are treated with dignity and respect YES NO The environment is being damaged by work activity YES NO Wrongdoing is being covered up YES NO The individual’s care is inadequate but they cannot or will not complain YES NO Care plans are reassessed and updated regularly YES NO Your manager is involved in the abuse of individuals YES NO 14

Working in partnership In your role you will be working with people in a variety of roles. This is known as ‘partnership working. ’ Working relationships fall into four groups: ■ Individuals and their friends and family ■ Your colleagues and managers ■ People from other workplaces, including advocates. ■ Volunteers and community groups. Advocate Is a trusted, independent person who can speak and act for the individual. They can advise on matters such as benefits and can ensure that the individual’s voice is heard in care planning meetings, making sure that decisions are made in the interests of the individual. The role of advocates and advocacy services are made more important with the Care Act 2014. 15

Effective partnership working The effectiveness of partnership working affects the quality of care delivery. Skills and values necessary for it to be effective include: ■ Communication Conflicts and disagreements can ■ Record keeping affect the quality of care provided. Seek advice from managers and ■ Trust colleagues who have the experience ■ Respect to help and advise you. Working well in partnership Failings in partnership working • Good quality care • Meets all the individual’s needs • Poor standard of care • Often identified as a factor when things go wrong. 16

Knowledge check Which of the following statements about rights and responsibilities is true? Click to reveal answer The law states that your employer can choose how they treat you You have legal rights and responsibilities when you are employed You can behave however you want in the workplace The law does not apply to people who work in agreed ways 17

Knowledge check Which of the following is important for effective partnership working? Click to reveal answer Whistleblowing Keeping relevant information to yourself Open and honest communication Making judgements based on your past experiences 18

Knowledge check What should you do if you are concerned that one of your colleagues is mistreating an individual they are providing care and support for? Click to reveal answer I should keep quiet and not complain I should discuss my concerns with the individuals that I support I should report concerns to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) immediately I should report my concerns to my manager 19